The Human
by Ocytavia
Summary: Kovu wanders away from the pride and discovers a small human girl. His first reaction is to kill, but Rafiki prevents this. But something else is preventing him, something from his past... Currently on Standby
1. Prologe

The Human

Prologe

The harsh heat from the sun was burning the ground, making it too hot for tender feet to stand on

The harsh heat from the sun was burning the ground, making it too hot for tender feet to stand on. The desert plane ahead held no shade for the passing traveller, just endless space and nothingness. Nothing grew here, and if anything had, it died long ago. The land was ancient, but looked older. Rain had not reached these lands for longer than anyone has known. The blue sky was like the harsh land; never ending. 

A small human girl, the only living thing to step into this land for over a decade, ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She was running fast, partly because of the heat of the ground, partly because she knew that if she stopped, she would die. She had to find water, shade, but she couldn't do that unless she was moving, and if she slowed, she would stop. 

She can't have been older than six years, yet she had so much strength inside her. She hadn't stopped running for over an hour, but she wasn't to know that. She knew she had been running a long time. Her lungs burned, and her mouth had been so dry for so long she had forgotten what it felt like for it to be wet. 

Although she was strong, she wasn't strong enough to withstand the heat of the day. When she could no longer run, she collapsed. She was too exhausted to care about the ground burning her delicate skin. She lost consciousness, as her surroundings faded around her. She had given up. It was all pointless. There was nothing to reach for. She lied there, motionless, knowing that she was going to die. 


	2. Chapter 1

The Human

Chapter 1

Kovu had wandered farther than he had intended. He knew perfectly well that he was suppose to be looking for food, hunting. He didn't know how he was going to find it in the middle of the desert. But he felt something drawing him there, some greater force. 

_This is crazy,_ his brain told him. _Some greater force? What would it want you for? Our being stupid, Kovu. Now hurry and go back before anyone notices how far you've gone, or your going to be in deep trouble. _

He knew that the pride still didn't trust him 100, as much as he tried to show him that he had changed. The lionesses who previously followed under Scar were under the impression that Zira had brainwashed him, so much that something must still be in there. He can't have completely recovered. And maybe he hadn't, but he wasn't going to say anything. Recently, Simba had been in a bad mood, and Kovu was sure he would use any excuse to get him exiled again. 

Kovu shook his head, ready to turn back, when something caught his eye. _Maybe this wasn't a fruitless journey after all, _he thought as he approached the thing. He looked at it with curiosity, moving it with his paw. It made a strange sound and Kovu back away. _Whatever that is, it's still alive, _he thought. Still, most of the meat he ate needed to be slaughtered first. He reapproached the body, licking his lips. 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the wise monkey Rafiki, jumped in front of him. "You mustn't eat her!" He yelled, in such a way that made it almost impossible to tell what he was saying. 

"What?" Kovu asked, surprised. Though he should have been use to it, as Rafiki was constantly jumping out at him like that. 

"You mustn't eat the girl!" Rafiki told him strictly. 

"Why not?" Kovu said, laughing out of nerves. 

"You know why," Rafiki said in that confusing way. "Why you come here if you not know why?"

"What are you talking about?" Kovu asked. Rafiki gave him a long stare, making him nervous. 

"You come with me. You bring the girl, you come with me," the monkey called as he raced off with his stick jangling. 

Kovu hoisted the unconscious girl onto his shoulders, following Rafiki, but finding it hard to keep up. Finally, once re-entering the pride land, they found a stream. Rafiki stopped, and Kovu let the girl slip off his back. 

Rafiki reached for a large nut in the tree above him. Once he had got it down, he cracked it in half. Kovu watched him, and began confused when he threw the nut inside the shell away.

"What are you doing?" 

"You see, you see," Rafiki said, as though it should have been obvious. He dipped half a nut shell into the water, filling it to the brim, and brought the nut shell to the girls mouth. He slowly dripped the water down the girls throat, which proved difficult, as most of it pored back out again. He then refilled the cup, and emptied it over the girls face.

She woke instantly. She sat up with a gasp, as though she had just been thrown into a lake. She took a few seconds to take some deep breaths before taking in her surroundings. The first things she saw was the rivers, and she immediately started lapping up water like a dog. 

"What do we do now?" Kovu asked Rafiki. 

"Shhh!" Rafiki replied, but it was too late. The girl had heard the growls of the lion. 

She swung her head around, and gave a short scream, backing quickly away. Kovu stepped towards her, but Rafiki held him back. The girl examined this strange relationship, and wondered why the Lion didn't just eat the monkey. 

"Kovu! Where are you?" Kiara's voice was close by, to close, and it scared the girl greatly. Kiara walked into the opening, spotting Kovu straight away. She didn't even notice the small girl as she walked past her, but the girl certainly noticed her.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you, it's getting dark. We've got to get back to pride rock before…" Kiara trailed off as she noticed Rafiki standing next to Kovu. "Okay, what's going on?" 

Neither of them said a word. Kovu nudged his head in the direction of the girl, and Kiara turned around. She backed away quickly, as if afraid of the small girl. 

"What is it?" Kiara asked Kovu.

"I don't know, I just found her," Kovu replied. 

"Rafiki, what is it?" Kiara said over Kovu's head.

"I don't know. Let's o find out, eh?" And with that, the wise old monkey half sung, half walked over to the girl. "Who are you?" He asked, sticking his face right into the girls face. For a wise old monkey, his people skills need some major improvements.

Of course, the girl did not understand a word of this. She just heard some monkey chattering and some lions growling. She wasn't sure what to make of it. She quickly backed away from the old monkey, as it was frightening her.

"Stop it, your scaring… it," Kiara said, knocking Rafiki out of the way. Of course, the girl would probably be more afraid of a lion, who might eat her, than a werid looking monkey, who is almost harmless.

But Kiara rubbed up against the girl and purred, like a harmless kitten. The girl eventually relaxed, and sat down. Kiara curled up next to her. The old monkey and the lion were arguing, or so it seemed, until Kiara silenced them with one Roar. The girl smiled as she lied down on Kiara and slept.

"I still don't see why we can't eat her," Kovu whispered to Rafiki. 

"No, no! You mustn't eat the girl!" 

"But you haven't told me why yet!" Kovu said, rasing his voice.

"Shhh!" Kiara said fiercely. She then started grooming the girls matted hair with her rough tongue. 

"She is special. Not for eating!" Rafiki wagged his finger at Kovu. 

"Okay, okay," he said, giving in. "There's not that much meat on her anyway."

"We've got to take her back to the pride with us," Kiara said quietly, as to not wake the sleeping girl.

"What, why?" Kovu was shocked, and his voice had become loud again.

"Shhh!"

"Sorry," he said. "But why?" 

"She can't stay here, she'd die!"

"What do I care?"

"How can you be so cold hearted, Kovu?" Kiara seemed disappointed in him. Kovu had the feeling she was starting to believe the rumours about him still being cold blooded from Zira brainwashing him. 

"Well, she might de if we take her back anyway! We don't know what to feed her, and someone might eat her!" 

"I don't care. I won't let her die if there's something to be done about it!" Kovu looked down at Kiara, who was no longer looking at him.

"Is this about…" Kovu said in a tender voice, but Kiara cut him off.

"No, it has nothing to do with that!" 

"Are you sure? Kiara, if you want to talk-" Kiara cut him off once again.

"There's nothing to talk about, Kovu. It's all in the past now." 

They were both silent after that.

It was starting to get dark, and the shadow of pride rock was stretching far over the land. Kovu nudge Kiara, who had fallen asleep. Rafiki had left long ago, muttering to himself about needing to talk to someone… or something. Kovu would never understand Rafiki.

"It's time to go," he whispered to Kiara, who was still drowsy. He gently lifted the sleeping girl onto his back, and he walked with Kiara back to pride rock in silence. He didn't know what the reaction of Simba would be, and frankly, he really didn't want to know either. But they all knew that he wouldn't be happy. 

Kiara walked through into the cave first. "Hello dad," she said bravely. 

"Hello Kiara. What took you so long?" 

"We found something dad." 

"What?" He asked, kindly. Kovu walked in, with the girl on his back.

"What is _that_?!"

**So, Simba doesn't think much of the new arrival, does he? And what was the mysterious thing that was "All in the past"? **

**Please Review**

**OcyTaviAh**


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